Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-02-17
THE GRAND JURY'S REPORT
SEPER1B SUBJECTS FOR LEGIS-
L1TITE CONSIDBRAIIO


atnSore Ihs aoWvt %1sge~tina Tnat
tss Sai'sIp t..crDse- EE~ rsyEused--
Eha Es'T".',slbtc CAnst Cust.star.
'F'r r.patt n the grind lnfy wac alsde
TO inr etutNf pru"rl SESSIONS stsr1Ky
Wtek was e,l by Clark OF TIE
EHaca C2ahra,l hnJ il IS follows
~ tiss Hoamye5ie Chief Justice and the
ASsoci"t 3aiBs: Tue grand Inquest hay
Ing completed it- htb9rs for the past year,
respectfully report having acted on 1872 bills,
of which number llG have been returned as
ttue bills and II have bsen ignored and two
sei't to the Ferris Reform School. Quite a
number of these cases were Of trivinl char
aeser, and We should suggest that some way
should bs provided by which many of them
should hAye been settled before a lower
court. So much of the time Of the court
and jury has been taken up with petty cases
which should by law besettled either before
the municipal court OF justices of the peace
--ior Instance, cases Of assault and battery,
carrying concealed weapons and petty lar
ceny by youns Offenders. Much of the
Septenber rsEsn was oeafpied by so-called
policy eases" and sife's9 flghts, which
dn'ier auf present law nPRaafeds & - sg,slsyesty
Tnrgrand jary desire to cfgr tne attention
of our present LegislIture 10 this fact, aud
request them to so amend onr laws as 10
puni-h hll degrees of priz -hyhts and box.
iIg matches whrre Il Zee is eSlarg4ti, eithsr
with or without glpve' and supaiess All
Kinds of gambling and gamts of chirnee
whether carriAG Oh under the name OF
policy, keno, iaro, raflling, or any other
name.
The almshouse has been visited and ex-
amtned Ia its several departments. II Is In
excellent condition, cleanliness prevailing
through the entire building. The inmates
u OH fng Nj 4nI
and a homelike atmosphere pervades the
institution. The superintendent and his
family deserve commendRtion for the atten-
tion to the wants and comforts of the In
mates and the executive ability displayed
In the general management.
The grand jury visited the county prison
in October of last year. The county prison,
with the exception of the vagrant depart
ment, was in creditable condition. Ii
seemed somewhat crowded. In one cell
we found eight women and one child with
out liberty to exercise. We observed there
u small boy, who was recommended by the
grand jury at the September term to be sent
to the Ferris Reform School. Much sur
prise was expressed at the recommendation
not being carried OUT the grand Jury had
made this recommendation on the advice
of the court.
Ourattention has been called to the yearly
increasing number Of vagrants that are a
serious burden to the taxpayers of the
county. AT the time of our visiting the jail
the department assigned to them was filed
with lazy, worthless yagabonds, who make
the county jail refuge in winter, and in
summer spread over the country, terror
and nuisance to our citizens. We also notice
that by the last quarterly report of the
Trustees of the Poor that about 2, 100 meals
and near 1000 lodgings had been furnished
these vagrant tramps at the almshouse.
When we consider the cost OF committing
Tn iRal pV1A
would amount to sum that would astonish
our tax-paytng citizens. We want to urge
upon our Legislature the necessity of enact
Ing law that would compel these vagrants
TO work out the expense they entail upon
the county. There would doubtless be
fewer Of them committed to prison. II,
however, they are to be continued as wards
OF the county, II is necessary that their
place Of confinement should be better ven
tiiated, for Ia its present condition ii Is not
fit even for tramp.
The grand jury desire 10 call attention to
the Increase OF crime and immortality aris-
ing from the use and abuse of Intoxicating
liquors. A large majority of the cases oe-
cupying the attention Of this body during
the past year are traced directly to this
cause, entailing destitution, suffering and
ruin on many families, filling our prisons
with criminals, debasing the morals Of the
rising generation and raising our taxes to
excess. We would respectfully urge upon
our honorable court and theLeglslature the
great necessity of devising some means Of
abating this dangerous and growing evil.
From our experience the past year we
should suggest the wedding out and cur
failing of hotel and saloon licenses.
The grand jury would earnestly call the
attention OF the Legislature to the alarming
growth OF corruption in our general and
primary elections by the free use of money,
fraudulent counting of the ballots and the
stutting of the ballot boxes, debasing the
manhood OF the voters and rendering nilga-
tory the voice of the people, and would
therefore earnestly urge the present Legls-
lature to frame and pass such laws as would
completely eradicate this growing evil.
The grand jury would call the attention
ofthe ooult to the facilities afforded thieves
by the Keepers of Junk shops, for the dispo-
sition of their plunder is becoming so easy
that 1t encourages n great deRl of theft that
otherwise would not be committed. We
present this fact TO the court for the pur-
pose of informing these junk dealers that
they render themselves liable to arrest and
punishment for their neglect of caution, In
purchasing articles which they might easily
know were stolen. The grand Jury have
during their term Just closed,
that much delay and confusion is caused
by witnesses not being present to go before
the grand jury. 1t often happens that four
or five witnesses belonging TO the same case
whom the grand jury cannot act. Thefour
or live must then wait until the one can be
Produced This Is particularly true In the
city of Wilmington where the witnesses are
and pretty hard to flhd. We re-
commend that the officers who give the
preliminary hearings endorse on the bsek
Of the commitments and recognizances, the
place Of residence OF such witnesses and
that the clerk Of the pelce then insert their
paee OF residence In the subppnas after
their names. This would remedy this delay
and confusion and would certainly savetha
county great deal of expense. We would
recommend the passage OF n law making
this suggestion obligatory
II also often happens that the grand Jury
have acted on bills, and the court, although
Idle, cannot take them up, because they
must be first pre- sented TO the court In the
presence of the entire grand Jury, IL
proper, therefore, we would recommend
hat the Legislature pass an act enabling
The foreman when so instructed Nv the
grand Jury 20 present these bills to the
eonr 50 that they may Mt once be taken up
without r. qutriug the entire grand Jury
10 erter the r1u room and again retife to
thelr chamber 10 act on other bills
The grant jury desire TO cali the atftn-
FOO III fh+@ at Ha1 tina rahh eoutnlsslau-
ars Bt I'm stHi'tpi hundreds to tha condition
9t NJ 1GNt' cat Is bans' suns Of money
are ahna4lsy El-et lR nAerous taXariop
and 'F many n-tilprt's almost throw away,
or irI4d ci"u.lN n 1T in 50 rallied road
TliiHh iuri,ils j b Tor sarn,
rav1tt @. We lSh raHd commissions rs ard
-upsrvisars u know that tha uhlre is no
slnecure, but nns Of responsibility. We aiao
call tile attention. OF road commissioners 10
the dangerous character OF public ROADS
over mill dams aud over causeways. being
unprotected from not having pr,,psr guard
rails. We would also suggest TO the man
ayers of turnpikes that the general pnblIe
VIII hereafter demand bet or roads for the
toll paid.
We also wish to call tho attention OF rail.
road companies to the law of this state IN
regard to railroads crossing public roads.
and 70 the many Willful distractions OF
public travel by cars stAn ding across public
roads and need of safety gates or watcb-
men at many OF the public crossings where
the travel Is heavy and where obstruetions
prevent the cars from being seen.
me grand jury with pleasure recognize
the flet thn' tfs duties have been simnlitied
ana mcilitatet by the lucid advice OF the
Hoult ana eheerfully rendered assistance
OF our wo;thy attorneys and his able
deputy,
RoRERr G. Jusrrs, Foreman.
droRaE w. RERR, Secretary.
Chief Justice Comegys, in receiving
the report, said it would be spread upon
the records Of the court and a copy trens-
mitted to tine levy court. With regard 10
the recommendations that certain matters
be brought to the attention of the Leeia.
lature, he said that was beyond the iuris-
diction of the court and il could do moth.
ing with regard to it. The proper channel